Iran test-fires more missiles in Persian Gulf

TEHRAN – Iran test-fired more long-range missiles overnight in a second round of exercises meant to show that the country can defend itself against any attack by the United States or Israel, state television reported yesterday.

The weapons have “special capabilities” and included missiles launched from naval ships in the Persian Gulf, along with torpedoes and surface-to-surface missiles, the broadcast said. It did not elaborate.A brief video clip showed two missiles being fired simultaneously in the darkness trailed by red plumes of fire and smoke.The report came hours after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Iran that Washington will not back down in the face of threats against Israel.”We are sending a message to Iran that we will defend American interests and the interests of our allies,” Rice said yesterday in Georgia at the close of a three-day Eastern European trip.The director of the US Missile Defence Agency, Lt.Gen.Henry Obering, said Iran’s missile tests have emphasised the urgency of going ahead with plans to place a proposed US missile defence system in Eastern Europe.Among the missiles Iran said it tested on Wednesday was a new version of the Shahab-3, which officials have said has a range of 1,250 miles and is armed with a 1-ton conventional warhead.That would put Israel, Turkey, the Arabian peninsula, Afghanistan and Pakistan all within striking distance.Wednesday’s missile tests were conducted at the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which up to 40 per cent of the world’s oil passes.Iran has threatened to shut down traffic in the strait if attacked.Another Iranian state channel, Press TV, quoted a senior Republican Guard commander yesterday as saying Iran would maintain security in the Strait of Hormuz and the larger Gulf.Gen.Mohammad Hejazi, chief of the Guards’ joint staff, called the missile tests a “defensive measure against invasions,” according to the channel’s Web site.Iran will not jeopardise the interests of neighbouring countries, he said without elaborating.Even as Hejazi tried to reassure Iran’s neighbours, Tehran’s stand-off with the West took a new toll when French energy giant Total SA said it is too risky to invest in Iran for now.The decision raised questions about the future of major western involvement in developing Iranian gas reserves.”The conditions are not present for investing in Iran today,” said Total spokeswoman Lisa Wiler.”We hope that the political relations will improve so that we can invest.”Total had been in discussions for developing a liquefied natural gas project linked to Iran’s South Pars gas field with Malaysia’s Petronas.Nampa-APIt did not elaborate.A brief video clip showed two missiles being fired simultaneously in the darkness trailed by red plumes of fire and smoke.The report came hours after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Iran that Washington will not back down in the face of threats against Israel.”We are sending a message to Iran that we will defend American interests and the interests of our allies,” Rice said yesterday in Georgia at the close of a three-day Eastern European trip.The director of the US Missile Defence Agency, Lt.Gen.Henry Obering, said Iran’s missile tests have emphasised the urgency of going ahead with plans to place a proposed US missile defence system in Eastern Europe.Among the missiles Iran said it tested on Wednesday was a new version of the Shahab-3, which officials have said has a range of 1,250 miles and is armed with a 1-ton conventional warhead.That would put Israel, Turkey, the Arabian peninsula, Afghanistan and Pakistan all within striking distance.Wednesday’s missile tests were conducted at the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which up to 40 per cent of the world’s oil passes.Iran has threatened to shut down traffic in the strait if attacked.Another Iranian state channel, Press TV, quoted a senior Republican Guard commander yesterday as saying Iran would maintain security in the Strait of Hormuz and the larger Gulf.Gen.Mohammad Hejazi, chief of the Guards’ joint staff, called the missile tests a “defensive measure against invasions,” according to the channel’s Web site.Iran will not jeopardise the interests of neighbouring countries, he said without elaborating.Even as Hejazi tried to reassure Iran’s neighbours, Tehran’s stand-off with the West took a new toll when French energy giant Total SA said it is too risky to invest in Iran for now.The decision raised questions about the future of major western involvement in developing Iranian gas reserves.”The conditions are not present for investing in Iran today,” said Total spokeswoman Lisa Wiler.”We hope that the political relations will improve so that we can invest.”Total had been in discussions for developing a liquefied natural gas project linked to Iran’s South Pars gas field with Malaysia’s Petronas.Nampa-AP